18 comments on “5 Tips to Keeping a Clean House While the Kids are Home for the Summer”

To keep my house in order during the summer, I do one hour of cleaning each morning while the kids watch cartoons. First I start a load of laundry, then empty the dishwasher so thst everyone can out their dirty dishes straight in the dish washer to keep the sink empty. Then I straighten bedrooms and put away whatever is out of place around the house. Then I do something like vacuum, clean the bathrooms, dust, clean bed linens, etc depending on what day it is. Then ill finish that load of laundry.. and we have the rest of the day to play.

Great ideas! My kids have five minute chores that really help me. The day before trash day, they carry all the small garbage cans to the big kitchen one to dump. The use their dusters one day to dust stairs and railings. Another day they clean out their book bags and clean the hall closets and book bag area.

I have three children (pre-school/toddler) so they are always home and the mess is always around, but in the summer we made an outdoor eating area on our patio. It is an old glass table, cheap patio chairs, and one of those easy to put up canopies which we screwed to the deck so it wouldn’t fly away. The best feature though is after dinner I use the garden hose to wash down the sticky and crumbly mess that comes from little people at the table.

I’m over the other side of the world so it’s winter here and still school, but I thought I’d share.

My kids have a list of jobs that they can pick from and they have to do one a day. The list includes things like clean a window, pick up and put away 18 things, dust a room, empty the dishwasher….small jobs that they can do to the best of their ability (they are 8 and 5 years old) but it still helps me out and gets them into the routine of housekeeping (’cause we all have to do it one day!). Letting them pick also avoids the moans and groans because if there’s a job they really hate, then they can do something else. We carry on this routine right through school holidays and it really helps.

I like the idea of the cleaning caddies for them. Might make them even more enthused! And I’m looking forward to summer so we can eat outside again…

During the summer, we do nightly cleanings, everyone has a room and before they go to bed they have to pick up anything on the floor and put it where it belongs. It gives each kids a responsibility and helps us to keep the house clean.